Flats on a Yamaha BB1024

[xzodar]

Hi All

I'm thinking of putting a set of flats on my Yamaha BB1024.

I just wondered if any of you guys have done this and any recommendations as to brands?

I was thinking perhaps a set of D'addario Chromes...

Can I still string through the body with flats (given that the bass has the 45 degree through body setup) or would you advise against?

Does anyone know what the string gauges as shipped are as I won't want to be messing with the nickel nut.

Any wisdom graciously received.

Many thanks in advance.

Pete

[Dingus]

Those basses will almost certainly be fitted with a set of standard gauge 45-105 strings from the factory, but you should be able to use other gauges without any adjustment or alteration to the nickel steel nut. However, it can sometimes take a bit of experimentation to get the correct angle between the string on the winding post relative to the steel nut, which can, like all steel nuts, be prone to rattling a bit if that angle isn't quite right. A bit of trial and error usually sorts it out, so don't panic if after you change the strings there is a bit of rattling in that area. Even without messing about with the angle of the string, sometimes leaving the strings to "settle in " to the nut under tension seems to sort things out, too. Don't ask me how or why it works , but it does( sometimes).

As to what flats to use, I am not the greatest expert because I use roundwounds, but a lot depends not only on what kind of sound you like but also the kind of feel you want the bass to have when you play it. Flatwounds tend to feel a lot stiffer to play than roundwounds in an equivalent gauge, and some brands of flats feel subjectively stiffer than others. Flats also put a lot more tension on the neck of your bass, ( so much so that it can in some circumstances cause structural problems in the long-term) so that is also something to be aware of in terms of the overall setup of your bass. It is quite likely you may need to adjust the truss rod a little bit if you switch from rounds to flats. You can still string through the body with flats, but that will give an [i] even more[/i] taught feel to an already taught string.

A lot of folks swear by Thomastic Jazz Bass Flatwounds because they are low tension compared to most other flats with a feel that suits players used to roundwounds , and they sound great to most people, too. They are expensive but excellent quality and a set should last years.

Edited March 6, 2014 by Dingus

[discreet]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1394123298' post='2388186']
Flatwounds tend to feel a lot stiffer to play than roundwounds in an equivalent gauge, and some brands of flats feel subjectively stiffer than others.
[/quote]

And D'Addario Chromes are the stiffest of the lot. Or certainly one of the stiffest, anyway.
Or 'low-compliance...' I can never remember what the correct terminology is.

[Dingus]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1394127318' post='2388248']
And D'Addario Chromes are the stiffest of the lot. Or certainly one of the stiffest, anyway.
Or 'low-compliance...' I can never remember what the correct terminology is.
[/quote]

You can call it what you like, but stiff is stiff.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='xzodar' timestamp='1394122003' post='2388168']
Hi All

I'm thinking of putting a set of flats on my Yamaha BB1024.

I just wondered if any of you guys have done this and any recommendations as to brands?

I was thinking perhaps a set of D'addario Chromes...

Can I still string through the body with flats (given that the bass has the 45 degree through body setup) or would you advise against?

Does anyone know what the string gauges as shipped are as I won't want to be messing with the nickel nut.

Any wisdom graciously received.

Many thanks in advance.

Pete
[/quote]
Pete without wishing to be a party pooper...I wouldn't fit flats to any bass.

Congrats on the 1024 though...great basses.

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1394128017' post='2388257']


You can call it what you like, but stiff is stiff.
[/quote]

How many times have I heard this from a disappointed Mrs Axe... *sigh*

[Dingus]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1394129046' post='2388280']
How many times have I heard this from a disappointed Mrs Axe... *sigh*
[/quote]

Unrealistic expectations...

[Horizontalste]

FLATS!
Those pickups excel with fresh rounds, more punch than I've heard from any bass. Just roll the tone off man;»}

[guybrush threepwood]

[quote name='Horizontalste' timestamp='1394146008' post='2388557']
Just roll the tone off man;»}
[/quote]

Not the same at all. Anyway, it's a P style bass so why doesn't it already have flats on?

I can't see that the through-body angle would cause any issues, as it's quite gentle on the Yamaha. I'd personally recommend TI flats, which (I think) aren't actually as stiff as most rounds and their tone is gorgeous. However, the feel certainly isn't for everyone and they are expensive, although I'm sure you could easily sell them on here if you didn't like them!

[xzodar]

Thanks for everyone's responses so far. I should add that I'm lucky enough to own a BB1024 and a BB1024X so I'm thinking flats on one and rounds on the other. Perfect, right?

Interested to hear from any BB owners who have fitted flats though. TI flats do seem to get a lot of love on this forum so maybe that's the way to go?

Pete

[dannybuoy]

I have TIs on my P and nickel rounds on my BB1025X. Never tried flats on the BB since it sounds so good with rounds, but it you have two of them, you should definitely go for it.

TIs are great, they're not as floppy as people make them out to be. A lot more going on in the midrange than traditional flats, but you can always roll the tone off to make them sound more old skool. I don't like the sticky feel and high tension of Chromes and LaBellas. Pyramid flats are also a great string, but again, not cheap.

Others that I've not tried but get a lot of love are the GHS Precisions, Fender, Sadwosky and Lakland flats.



[i]A note about stringing through the body....[/i]

On my P bass, the break angle of the strings going over the bridge saddles looks something like 30 degrees, going over a nice smooth round barrel, where it has an inch or so of length before it encounters the sharp angle going through the body.

On the BB, the strings sit on a sharp fulcrum followed by an immediate 45 degree angle. On the P Bass, the sharpest angle is at a fixed position on the base of the bridge plate, but on the BB, the sharpest angle is on the saddle, so I would be very wary of fitting any flats through the body on this bridge, especially if you need to adjust the intonation after fitting them (which you will). Thankfully you can still string through the bridge, I think this would be safest option!

Stringing through the body is supposed to increase sustain, which you don't really want with flats anyway!

Edited March 7, 2014 by dannybuoy

[jrixn1]

[quote name='xzodar' timestamp='1394182624' post='2388716']
Interested to hear from any BB owners who have fitted flats though.
[/quote]

I'm very happy with my BB425X with D'Addario Chromes, regular light gauge (45-132). I'm playing perhaps 80% motown/soul/disco and 20% pop/rock/other, and it works really well.

I have a different nut to your 1024, but FWIW I didn't have to modify mine.

I strung through the body without any problems - although I realize now there is no need. If I did it again today I'd go through the bridge.

[Foxx]

Rotosound 77s, not massively tight, nice sound, can do bright-ish without that nasty clank of roundwounds, D'addario chromes have a fair bit more tension than the rotos, I personally don't like the feel of them, even though they sound good.

Haven't tried any other brands to comment, always stuck with the rotos.

[Sean]

I use Status half rounds on my Yams. All the feel of flats but with a bit more meat. The tension also suits the basses well.